


Comfort in Strangers.

by DecayedDruid



Category: Show By Rock!! - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety Attacks, Communication Failure, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, M/M, No I will not be taking criticism at this time, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, ShuZo is mentioned very vaguely and isn't really in this, Yaiba comes in and swoops Rom off his feet like a smooth talker, Yes he and Rom are exes and no their relationship was Not great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:33:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21877447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecayedDruid/pseuds/DecayedDruid
Summary: sometimes drugs come in the form of people, and instead of hurting you, they'll save your life.will we still feel the same?
Relationships: Rom/Yaiba (Show By Rock!!)
Kudos: 9





	Comfort in Strangers.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GeneralWeylyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneralWeylyn/gifts).



> Bastille influenced me, I meant for this to be PWP, but then feelings got involved so yeehaw. Also Rom with PTSD and generally oof + yikes past with ShuZo is like... My Thing, so don't expect to see much of anything else dynamic-wise with them from me. It's genuinely how I interpret their relationship as is, so.
> 
> Also, this fic can alternatively be called: Rom please confront your unmentioned psychological trauma and PTSD we're begging you sweetie aversion is Not Healthy

Rom hated to admit it, but he was quite the perpetrator of one major crime: Evasion. He evaded a lot of things, about his past, particularly--a touchy subject, it was. _**He**_ really fucked him up, in many ways, all of them ways Rom never wanted to think about. So he didn't. It was that simple. He used many forms of evasion--overworking himself at his office job, going out with his friends Aion and Crow (who _absolutely_ needed to hurry up and fuck already--the only people who couldn't see both their romantic and sexual tension was they themselves), and his current activity: Bar hopping with coworkers.

_**He**_ was never one for the bar scene, more for clubs and rave parties, which was much too far out of Rom's comfort zone. Despite that, he'd been to more rave party weekend benders than he could count. He much preferred the smoky calmness that came with a nice, hard liquor at the bar. Especially to wind down from a rough day.

Thankfully Rom's silence wasn't particularly out of character, per se, but he was feeling out of sorts.

The day had been so stressful he wanted to pull his hair out, with such small things that simply built up--he spilled his coffee on his favorite tie and shirt combo, so he had to change in a rush before leaving for work which had him looking... Well, out of sorts was an understatement. And then his boss pulled him into the office to tell him his numbers were showing a bit of slack, which needed to be whipped into shape immediately. That didn't help the stress of Rom's current project, which he was presently _behind_ on.

Then Crow and Aion had to cancel on their plans, so bar hopping with coworkers it was. And the stress piling up was just... Pulling him into a bad mindset he wished he couldn't remember like it was yesterday. Taking another swig of his whisky on the rocks, Rom's grimace only deepened. Be it due to the sting of the alcohol, or the distressing day, you decide. So deep in thought he was, he didn't notice the slender body of a stranger slip onto the barstool next to him.

"You know, they say if you keep your face in one expression too long, it'll freeze that way, hence," the person chuckled, voice as smooth as velvet. It snapped Rom right out of his reverie, wide blue eyes making contact with glittering gold ones. As the tension seeped out of his muscles, Rom sighed and allowed his shoulders to droop, officially cutting his coworkers out of his attention span.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Rom gruffed, fishing for his pack of cigarettes. He wasn't too often a smoker, but times like this... "I'm just another stranger at a bar to you. Shouldn't matter what my face does or doesn't freeze like."

As Rom pulled out a cigarette and placed the butt of it against his lips, the stranger already had a lighter pulled out, igniting it and lighting up the cig. ... Was this person really trying to pull a move on him? What about him and his agitated posture screamed "I need to get laid"?

"And what if I want to change that? You have a whole dark cloud hanging over you, I figured the least I could do is introduce myself to what seemed to be Legend of the Distressed Salaryman, hence... I am Yaiba."

Golden and black tipped fox ears twitching in earnest, alongside the probable song change (genre whiplash be damned), Rom raised an eyebrow in interest at the peculiar speech pattern. Taking in a drag of his cigarette and exhaling slowly, Rom continued to stare and weigh his options. He didn't _have_ to go home with this stranger--with Yaiba. He didn't _have_ to do anything. Not anymore.

_**He**_ did not control him anymore, despite the fact it sometimes still felt like he did. Rom's gaze drifted down to the voluminous fox tail lazily swishing to and fro, feeling another frown begin to cross his lips as he slipped into thought once more.

"Ah, ah, ah," Yaiba tsked at him, now wearing a small frown of his own. Rom couldn't help himself but to think a frown didn't suit the fox, he liked the flirtatious expression prior to better. "It's typically polite to give me your name in return, hence. Or have the grace to tell me you're not interested in speaking, if I am that much of a bother."

"N-no. No, God, fuck no," Rom screwed his eyes shut, using the heel of his free hand to press against his forehead as he flicked his ashes into the nearest ash tray to take another drag. "Just... Today's been... Fucking rough, I tend to zone out when I'm not doing the greatest. Uh, I'm Rom. By the way."

Yaiba hummed in acknowledgement, closing his eyes as if to contemplate something before using his middle finger to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and opening them again.

"Bartender!" he called, "Can I get another whisky on the rocks and water, please?"

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Rom's ears pressed flush against his head and his tail whipped to the side agitatedly. After he received confirmation that his order was received, Yaiba slipped back onto the barstool, crossing his ankles.

"You finished your drink," Yaiba reasoned, "So I figured, if you're so worked up, I'd get you another. It's on me, so do not worry about the cost or paying, hence."

"Ah, y-you sure? Uh. Look, I appreciate the generosity, really, I do. But, forgive the bluntness, what do you want with me? I have no idea who you are, Yaiba, and you just mosied right on up to me and started chatting me up and bought me a drink. I can only assume you..."

The more Rom talked, the further Yaiba leaned in as if interested, but by the time the business leopard trailed off... Yaiba's face was but a couple inches from his, and had snuffed out his cig in the ashtray. Suddenly feeling the temperature rise a couple degrees and the air get a bit stuffier, Rom swallowed thickly, nervously. He pried his gaze away from Yaiba's intense one. It was odd anyone could properly converse with Rom anyway--he was commonly labeled as incredibly intimidating.

It was also odd anyone could make him uneasy--nervous, really, is a better word--in a different way that _**he**_ did. This wasn't knots and nails, wasn't nausea and cold sweats of panic... It was more like... Butterflies. Rom hadn't felt anything like that in ages. And Rom really wasn't one for one night stands or flings, but Yaiba did have quite and air of... Charisma... Around him.

Did Yaiba do this all the time?

"I, hence...?" Yaiba urged on, his voice holding the smirk his face did not have. He cocked his head to the side, fluffy ears perking up further. Ah... Shit. He really was laying it on thick now, wasn't he? And Rom was falling for it--hook, line, and sinker.

Feeling incredibly awkward and uncharacteristically flighty, Rom was immensely thankful when the bartender slid them Rom's whisky and Yaiba's water. He thanked the bartender and followed up with a "Uh. Well, sorry, suddenly it's really uh. Is it hot in here, or is it just me?" towards Yaiba before ducking out with his free drink.

He did not miss the look of surprise on Yaiba's face as he ducked out. He was hoping the tinge of hurt in those molten gold eyes was just his imagination, but he knew better. And he felt like a right dick for it.

Burning with shame, guilt, and a buzzing anxiety, Rom threaded through the people standing and chattering, eventually landing himself near the jukebox. It was uncomfortably loud, but that was fine, because the noise drowned out his thoughts as well as his surroundings. It did him one better than when he was up at the actual bar.

Except not really, because his head was beginning to pound and he just wanted to _leave_ , but he couldn't because of two reasons: 1. He didn't have an alternative designated driver that wasn't with his coworkers, and he wasn't about to ask that person to make an extra drive just to take him home individually. 2. It would be more appropriate to say that it drowned out all his thought except the ones relevant except to his newfound acquaintance.

Acquaintance? Friend? Potential fling? Labels were complicated, and Rom knew it was the anxiety and PTSD, and he shouldn't have just bailed on the guy. He was nice, and he even said if Rom would've been clear in his disinterest then he would have accepted it and left.

... Rom was interested, and he knew it. He knew he didn't voice disinterest because he _was_ interested, but he wasn't fond of using people for one purpose and then be done with them. If _anything_ happened, he’d want it to be more than superficial. But communication was fucking hard, and hell, what deity decided he should have to do things like be a fucking adult in a bar with alcohol and sex when he was trying to escape that exact thing like he always did?

… The deity who knew he was doing exactly that decided he needed to cut that shit out, that’s what one. Heaving yet another heavy sigh, Rom decided to get his shit together and apologize to Yaiba. He went back to where he was prior to his mind spilling all over the place, just to unsurprised at Yaiba’s absence. … Was he about to hunt through an entire crowded bar for a wronged fox? Really?

Yes. Yes he was.

Placing his now emptied glass at the bar and blaming the buzz for his future decisions, Rom began to make his way through the crowd once more with a slow and steady shake of the head.

Eventually he spotted the golden bespectacled fox, off in the corner closer to the bathrooms. He seemed noticeably more put out than when he first approached Rom, ears wilted and tail limp beside him. Swallowing the lump in his throat and trying to send it down towards the squirming pit in his stomach, he made his way over, tail low and swinging in an ashamed fashion. He cast his gaze down towards the filthy floor.

“Hey, Yaiba, you’ve known me for a grand total of maybe forty-five minutes and I’ve already made a royal ass of myself. Um. I’m not even gonna use my cruddy day as an excuse. It’s really not. I’m just. Really bad with advances. So if we could forget that happened and maybe start this over… I think that might be a good idea, if you’re still uh... Interested?”

“... Has anyone ever told you that you have a pretty blush?” Yaiba’s voice had a different tone to it, as if he knew something despite Rom not having told him. Rom’s face flushed a deeper red and he went to retort with something snappy back, but as he looked up to a lazy grin from Yaiba, his words caught in his throat. “It compliments your skin tone well, especially in this lighting, hence. Do you think talking elsewhere would be for the best? Perhaps calm down your nerves. I didn’t expect you to be an anxious person.”

“Hah… Neither did I,” Rom laughed lightly. Properly absorbing Yaiba’s question, Rom froze, brain short circuiting. He reached up a hand, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “Um… Your place or mine?”

Oh heavens, someone save him, he couldn’t do this if the world depended on it.

Yaiba’s smile continued to be dashing, flirtatious but bordering more on ethereal as it spread wider on his face. Yep. Definitely the booze. No doubt. Rom’s tolerance magically dropped tonight.

“Yours, if that’s alright, hence.”

And so it was decided. Yaiba, needless to say, was the designated driver--which was why he was drinking water, but he wasn’t the only one so abruptly ditching was fine. His car was nothing special, but definitely also nothing to sneeze at. Rom kept his anxiety at bay by watching the song selections scroll across the stereo on the car’s dash, counting how many times the car tried to load up a CD that didn’t actually exist.

When they finally got to his place, Rom got out and lead Yaiba to his apartment, turning to face him after unlocking the door. And it was then, the business man supposed, it began--for soft yet ever so slightly chapped lips met his. A delightful pressing of someone’s person against his, something he didn’t realize he was missing, Yaiba’s tail was swaying happily behind him.

That was enough to ignite the passion that had lain dormant in Rom’s being, passion he didn’t realize was even there, fumbling behind himself to get the door open and all but _fell_ inside with Yaiba. The fox gently kicked the door shut, maneuvering Rom’s blazer off and making quick work of his tie.

Rom traced the tip of his tongue over Yaiba’s lips, gently nipping with playful fangs, finding himself involuntarily smirking when Yaiba let out a delighted noise. His hands slipped under the back of the other’s jacket, intrigued the fox just… Didn’t wear a shirt underneath. He ran his hands over the expanse of the others back, feeling the outline of each curve and muscle.

Eventually they toppled back onto Rom’s sofa, Yaiba straddling the leopard’s legs and now pulling off his button down shirt as they continued to make-out. A very brief occasional bump to teeth that deterred them for a few seconds before kissing once more, not caring about air until their lungs would remind them of their starvation of air. They’d pull back, take down a couple gulps of air, and continue.

Yaiba cupped Rom’s face with a hand, a soft and breathless moan fanning out against his lips as they kissed and he spread his free hand over the leopard’s chest. Rom had already pulled off Yaiba’s jacket and ran his hands down the fox’s back, revelling in the heavy petting, before a frightening moment of clarity smacked him. In that second, he pulled back and turned his face away.

“Wait,” Rom started, “Wait, wait, wait. Stop.”

Pulling his hands away for good measure (huh?), and leaning away whilst stopping (what?), Yaiba seemed a bit frightened as he blinked. He looked like a deer in the headlights, and once again, Rom felt a pang of guilt.

“Did I do something wrong, hence?” Yaiba panted breathlessly. The sight and sound shouldn’t have made Rom’s chest feel so tight. Rom shook his head.

“No. No, not at all, I just,” Rom worried his bottom lip, “I know this is starting out like a fling, so I can only guess what this probably looks like, but I just. I wanna make this clear, before we go any farther--I. Um. Uh. I can’t do no strings attached. If that’s what you’re looking for, I need to thank you for tonight and end this here. But… Personal reasons. I can’t do a one night stand. I… Probably should have said that soone-”

Being interrupted with a forceful kiss, with a feeling that felt oddly far from lust but not solely so, Yaiba pulled away after a beat of silence. He made eye contact with Rom, nodding.

“I don’t mind,” the fox breathed, “We can try, and--and talk more tomorrow, Rom. But for right now, I think if you don’t fuck me within the next ten minutes, I might die.”

“No hence, huh?” Rom chuckled, silently relieved and he tentatively dived back in, eagerness revived. He began to work on Yaiba’s pants once more, running his hands down after undoing his belt and fly and cupping the fox’s ass. The brush of his thumbs against the base of the fluffy yellow tail had the fox keening, nails digging into Rom’s shoulders. Well, that told Rom where he was especially sensitive… He used his hands to slide Yaiba’s pants further down, raising an eyebrow when he saw a lack of underwear.

“Commando?”

“Personal preference, now kiss me again,” Yaiba huffed in a rush, pulling Rom back in and pressing down against Rom’s half-erect dick through his work slacks. Rom shuddered, instinctually rolling his hips back up against Yaiba for more pressure or friction. Quickly getting fed up with the clothing barrier, Rom made quick work of stripping himself of undoing his work pants, not caring if they got soiled. He had other pairs.

Yaiba glanced down and Rom could almost swear he _saw_ the other salivating at the sight of his dick, wrapping his hand around the both of them and brokenly, breathily moaning as he began to slowly pump them. The feeling of his barbs rubbing against another member was odd, especially since it was only on one side and not all encompassing…

By the time Rom was fully erect, Yaiba was trembling with need and fumbling with his pants.

“Fucking--I always have them in my pockets, hence, they _should_ be in here… So why don’t I--Aha!”

Seeming extraordinarily triumphant as he managed to find a couple foil packets and a travel sized lube bottle, Yaiba made incredibly quick work of rolling the condoms over them both. He was incredibly nimble and flexible, and so preparing himself was also incredibly easy for Yaiba--and hot. He somehow managed to be efficient yet thorough, but Rom was not complaining. He was efficiently so hard it was borderline painful.

Rom snorted at the quick work, still, admittedly thoroughly amused at Yaiba’s enthusiasm, “Well, I suppose maybe I don’t need to worry about my slacks after all…”

“Don’t hold your breath on that, hence,” Yaiba’s voice was surprisingly firm despite his shaky frame, “I expect to milk you for all you’re worth.”

_Oh._ Oh, that was… Surprisingly _hot._ Rom restrained a moan from the slightly dirty talk, tail thumping against the couch in satisfaction. “That better be a promise.”

“I-... I can’t imagine what else it’d be,” Yaiba smirked back at Rom as he finally finished, pulling three fingers from inside himself and instead beginning to sink down on Rom’s cock after positioning himself accordingly. Rom felt like the wind was knocked out of him, back slightly arching without him noticing. By the time Yaiba was done, their hips were flush against each other, so warm it was insane. Yaiba nuzzled into Rom’s neck, licking and lapping whilst making love marks. Rom was gripping Yaiba’s hips so firmly, he was almost certain they’d bruise in the morning.

He’d see that, too. Yaiba would be here in the morning, they’d be talking… The thought made Rom’s insides twist in the most pleasant of ways, which made the feeling of ecstasy heighten when Yaiba began to bounce in his lap. He gave no kindness at all, immediately starting at a fast pace. Rom was not complaining in the slightest.

“A-ah-! I… Mmmn, I can f-feel your b-barbs even still… So good, so good, _fuuuuuuck_...” Yaiba’s voice cracked, his thighs tensing and trying to wrap tighter around Rom to no avail. Nails digging into Yaiba’s pale skin and perhaps even drawing blood, Rom occasionally bucked his hips up to meet Yaiba on his way down, feeling the delightful burn in his ass and thighs from the activity.

Perhaps he was kind of giving of an “I need to get laid!” aura at the bar. But if it got him Yaiba, he regretted nothing.

“So tight, so hot, shit…!” Rom groaned, clenching his jaw as he used his thumbs to rub circles in Yaiba’s hips. It was then he thought of something, pulling Yaiba’s slender body close to his to reach around and gently grab and stroke his tail.

Yaiba _lost it_. He gasped and almost screamed, voice instead going in favor of cracking once more and making high pitched moans echo off the walls of his apartment. His tail curl upwards as if to wrap around Rom’s hand and keep it in place, simultaneously wagging. Despite the current situation, it was actually rather cute. And sexy.

He could feel Yaiba’s dick slightly sandwiched between them, his knot beginning to swell with the approach of his release. He took his other hand off Yaiba’s hip and took hold of his dick again, making sure on the downstroke to gently squeeze around his growing knot in the condom. In doing that, combined with his tail _and_ being fucked, Yaiba’s movements became erratic. He came into his condom, squeezing around Rom.

“Aaahnn! Oh, oh, fuck! Fuck, fuck, R-Ro~oooom!” Yaiba panted and keened, the other holding him in place despite his squirming as he also hit release, filling up the condom with his cum.

The afterglow was just as great, post-riding out their orgasms, simply resting against each other’s bodies, head on each other’s shoulders and catching their breath. Wincing as he lifted himself up and off, Yaiba tried his best to flop next to Rom, rather than hit the floor.

“Tr… Trash can?” the bespectacled man asked, fixing his glasses on his face (how they didn’t break or fall off is beyond Rom) and grimacing as he removed and tied off his condom. Rom nodded curtly, forcing himself to rise despite his aching muscles, pulling the can over as he too disposed of his garbage and condom. It was also probably for the best Rom pretended there _wasn’t_ a smear of cum on the lap of his work slacks as he shed those and his underwear, tossing them to the side on the floor.

He also made sure to grab water before sitting once more, letting Yaiba get the first drink and trying to clean up else where as best he could.

“Well... “ Yaiba asked, pulling on a shirt, “Are you feeling better? You surely look it, hence.”

“Y-Yeah…” Breathily chuckling, Rom stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Yaiba. “Ah. Uh. You’re… You’re in my shirt.”

“Is… That a problem?”

Oh. Yaiba did it on purpose? “N-no. No. It’s--It just surprised me, but… Don’t… Don’t worry about me.”

Seeming oddly pleased with that answer for someone who just met the person he finished fucking, Yaiba pulled the shirt closer around him and nodded with a small smile. He slowly tried to rise, looking to the leopard.

“Shall… Shall we go to bed? I’m assuming we’ll be sleeping together. If… That’s alright with you?”

Rom laughed lightly as he heard Yaiba’s soft ‘hence’ under his breath and rose from the couch once more.

“Yeah. Yeah, Yaiba. Let’s go to bed. You must be tired.”

For a shitty day… It ended rather amazingly, for what it’s worth. Rom managed to fall asleep feeling warm and with a smile on his face for the first time in quite a while. He couldn’t wait for the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I also did this 'cause I knew my husband would go feral over it. So here you are, Foxx. :) Good ol' dicking. Yeehaw.


End file.
